"The decorated manuscripts made primarily
by the Pennsylvania Germans are called fraktur. Most of them are
birth and baptism certificates (Geburts und Taufschein) produced
from about 1760 to the early years of the twentieth century, almost
always in German. By around 1900, fraktur are frequently found
written in English.

From about 1760 to 1818, freehand fraktur
were created by schoolmasters. Later fraktur, from about 1810
to 1900, were preprinted and filled out by persons highly skilled
in producing decorative handwriting.

The areas in which Fraktur were common are
the present states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio,
Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Indiana, the Carolinas, and Ontario,
Canada. Their heaviest concentration was in southeast Pennsylvania.
They were most popular among Lutheran and Reformed families because
the majority of them were baptism certificates, representing an
important sacrament among followers of these faiths.

The word Fraktur (pornounced FROCK-tur),
short for Frakturschriften (broken writing) derives from a Latin
word meaning 'fractured,' or 'broken,' for as the letters are
formed, instead of writing cursively, without lifting the pen,
the writer lifts the pen, which is thus 'broken' from the page."

"Frakturs are highly prized for their
beauty and historical value. The data they preserve have been
found to be highly reliable."

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